Method of plating metals



Jun'e 26, 1923.

H. A. MYERS METHOD OF PLATING METALS Filed March e. 1922 Patented June 26, 1923.

outrun-sures HUBEBT A. MYERS, OF TOLEDO, @HIO.

METHOD. OF HEATING METAEE Application filed Hatch 8, 1822. Qerial No. 541,804.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUBERT A. lifirnna,-

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have made an Invention Appertaining to Methods of Platin Metals; and I do hereby declare the fol owing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon,

which form a part of this specification My invention has for its object to easily and efiicientl metal plate or coat surfaces of bodies. t particularly has for its object to rovide a method of plating or coatmg bo ies by meltin and welding the platin or coating meta to the surface of the bo y. Thelating or coating metal may be meltedin a vance of its deposition on the body, or it may be melted during contact of a carrier of the plating or coating metal with the body. In the preferred method of depositing the metal, the metal is contin-= uously melted and at the same time brushed or burnished by the metal carrier while it is continuously, and preferably rotatably, moved over the surface of the body. The

' plating or coating metal may be heated by any suitable means, as by its own resistance to an electric current, or the resistance of an, as by arcs formed between an electric conductor and the plating or coating metal, or as by both the resistance of the metal and air, such as the contact resistance between a conductor and the plating or coating metal. Preferably the plating or coating metal constitutes-a part of the carrier, and the metal of the carrier is welded by an electric current as it is moved on the surface of the body.

The invention may be conducted by means of apparatuses or devices of. different forms. To 11 ustrate a practical application of the invention I have shown conventionall two orthree arrangements of parts wherem my invention in the method of glatin or coating metals may be conduete an which is described hereinafter.

Figure 1 of the drawing illustrates a disc or cylindrical wire. bru having wires formed of the-plating or coating metal and in an electric circuit in which the object to be coated is also connected. Fig.

.2 illustrates the apparatus for ap lying a low melting metal to the object. 7 lg. 3 illustrates an apparatus for depositing the plating or coating metal on the obiect and metal that is to be deposited on the objectv 2 to be plated, The brush may be secured in any suitable manner to a shaft 3 that is electrically connected to a source of current supply, such as that indicated at 4, and is also electrically connected to the wires of the brush in any suitable manner, such as by the bands 5 and 6, the band 6 being p aced in contact with the wires. The object 2 is also connected with the source of current supply. It may be connected through a contact 7 that is supported on a suitab e standard 8. The contact 7 is suitably insulated and is connected to the source of current supply 4. The circuit through the wires of the brush and the ob'ect 2 is completed when the ob'ect is place on the contact 7 and is broug t into contact with the ends of the wires 1.

The brush is rotated, preferably, at a high speed, such as 2,000 or 3,000 revolutions per minute. The current through the apparatus may be direct or alternatin and -may be induced by various potentia s. I

have found, however, that it is referable to operate the apparatus with a irect current havmg a potential of about thirty volts and as the resistanceof the circuit is low the they will not unduly scratch or mar the surfaces of the ob'ect or, the plating. The articles of mo ten metal formed by the eat produced by the contact resistance is welded onto the surface of the object as the wires are drawn over the surface of the ob'ect.

n Fig. 2 is illustrated a modification of the invention whereinthe wires 9 of the brush may be formed of a metal having a melting point above that of the plating metal. They are first passed over a bar or block 10 formed of the plating metal. The Wires 9 are connected in the circuit of the 0urce of supply 11 through the shaft 12 n the same manner that the wires 1 are connected to the source of supply. The blockv 10 is also connected to the source of current supply 11. The current is completed when the block 10 is brought into contact with the-wires 9. vThe metal of the block 10 is melted and is carried by the ends of the wires to the object 13 that'is also placed in contact with the ends of the Wires. The ends of the wires having received the metal from the object 10, the metal is brushed over the object 13. The object 13 may also be connected to thesource of current supply-so that the circuit through the wires 9 is also closed through the object 13. Thus the molten metal located on the ends of the wires is deposited and electrically welded to the object 13, as the brush is rotated.

The block 10 and the object 13 may be supported by an suitable means, the illustration being dia ammatic in character.

In the form o the invention shown in l Fi 3 thewires of the brush 14 also. have a which consists in me ting point above, that of the metal with which the object is plated. The block 15 is formed of the metal to be deposited on the object 16 and the block 15 is pressed against the wires as the brush 14 is rotated so as to press the wires of the brush away from the object 16 until they have been drawn from beneath the block 15, whereupon the particles will be deposited by the movement of the ends of the wires against theobject 16. .At the same time the object 16 ma be depresed or placed in contact with tile wires of the brush 14, and thus the surface is brushed as the metal is deposited and while the lating metal is still in a molten state. y this means the metal is smoothed over the surface of the object.

I have thus provided a method of producing an exceedingly well finished or polished coating rendered integral with the ob-. ject, by a simple and efficient method and means, whereby objects of all kinds may be rapidly and easily plated or coated, with metal, either for purposes of protection or for decorative or aestheticpurposes.

I claim:

1. The method of metal plating an object, electrically melting and welding particles of the metal to the surface of the object, and smoothing, by rubbing'the surface as the metal is deposited.

'2. The method of metal plating an object, which consists in electrically melting and welding particles of the metal to'the surface. of the object, and brushing the surface of the plating as the metal is deposited.

ance to an electric current which consists in electrically melting and weldin particles of the metal from the ends of a p urality ofclosel positioned wires onto the surface of the object.

4. The method of metal plating an object which consists in electrically melting and welding particles of the metal from the ends of a plurality of closely positioned wires onto the surface of the object, and moving the ends of the wire over the surface of the object.

5. The method of metal plating an object, which consists in electrically melting and welding particles of the body having the metal while the body is in contact with: the surface of the object, and drawing the body over the object while maintaining continuous contact therewith.

6. The method of metal plating an object, which consists in electrically melting and welding particles of the body havin the metal while the body is in contact wit the surface of the object, and drawing the body over the object while maintaining continuous contact therewith; and as the metal is deposited on contiguous areas of the ob- 'ect. J 7. The method of metal lating an object, which consists in melting tlle metal by resistas the metal is smoothed over the ,surface by continuous contact with the object of a body containing 'the' metal and movlng over the object.

' 8. The method ofi metal plating an object, which consists in melting the metal of a metal brush byresistance to an electric current as it is brushed on the object.

9. The method of metal plating an object, which consists in melting the metal of a metal brush by the resistance of contact between the metal and the member, and brushing the metal over the object by the brush.

10. The method of metal plating an object, which consists in melting the plating metal by the resistance of contact of the ends of a plurality of closely positioned wires, and depositing the metal on the object.

11. The method of metal plating an object, which consists in melting the plating metal by the resistance of contact of the ends of a pluralt of closely positioned wires and smoothing the metal over the surface of the ob 'ect.

12. e method of metal plating an 0bject, which consists in melting the lating metal by the resistance of contact of t e ends of a plurality of wires moving over the object, and conveying it by the wires to and over the surface ofthe object.

13.'The method of metal ject, which consists in melting the latingmetal by the resistance of contact of the ends of moving wires, and conveying it by the plating an obwires toand over the surface of the object,

and maintaining the temperature of the metal by the resistance of contact ofthe Y wires with. the ob 14. The meth of metal plating an object, which consists in melting the metal at the surface of the body containing the metal and smoothing the metal over the surface of the object by movement of the body against 10 and over the surface of the object.

15. The method of metal plating an object, which consists in electric melting and welding particles of the metal of a wire brush to the surface of the object while'the wires of the brush are drawn over and in contact with the surface of the object.

I In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

HUBERT A; MYERS. 

